Looking to Craigslist for your new iPhone or Android? Buyer BEWARE!!
By: Noman Lahli, Cell Phone Repair Guys Chief Techie December 21, 2010 9:40 pm
As the Holidays continue into the New Year, more and more people are learning that something too good to be true on Craigslist can be just that.
At Cell Phone Repair Guys, we provide the lowest prices for iPhone repair in the Dallas area, and we also specialize in all other phone models including Samsung, Blackberry, HTC, Motorola, LG, and all other manufacturers. We also see first hand the trends and tactics people use to try and get their hands on the newest and hottest phones. Sadly, its not a perfect world and below are a few real experiences that our customers have had to endure in their journey to get a “good” deal on Craigslist:
–Customer brings in her phone and tells us she just paid $200 for the iPhone 3G on Craigslist. There was no power but everything looked in good condition. We plugged the phone to charge, and after a few moments there was no indicator on the screen that power had been attached. We waited five minutes, then after still no indication of charging, we opened the phone, only to find that there was no logic board inside. All the ports and buttons and external components were there, but there was no motherboard in the device. No motherboard No phone, $200 lost, without any way of retrieving her money or finding the seller.
-Customer purchased a 3GS iPhone for $175. Met up with the seller and paid for the phone, only after seeing the screen turn on and inspecting the case for scuffs or scratches. After the exchange, he went home, put his SIM card into the phone, and phone shut off even though battery was full. Customer brings in the phone, we open it, and heavy water damage was present on all the components including motherboard. We were able to salvage the motherboard but the cost to fully replace the damaged components with new parts sends the actual cost of this phone to over $300, meaning the customer could have bought a new one with warranty. And remember that the phone was inspected before the customer paid for it, but unless you know what to look for, what else can be checked other then the screen, buttons, and housing? It’s the condition of the INSIDE of the phone that needs to be examined.
Unrelated to the above, the Sheriff’s Department of Orange Park, Florida is also putting out a caution flag for consumers during the holidays after the arrest of a man who lured people looking for deals on iPhones.
“Holiday shoppers during slow economic times may use Craigslist or other online sites to locate bargains and to purchase inexpensive gifts, and that is understandable,” said Sheriff’s Office public information officer Mary Justino. “But, as always, if it is too good to be true – it probably is.” According to police, Marcos Martinez, 26, of Middleburg placed an advertisement on Craigslist offering to sell a “brand new IPhone with the factory seal still in place.” The victims met him at various locations between Oct. 28 and Nov. 6, and paid between $100 and $250 for each phone. At least two of the victims became suspicious when Martinez drove away very quickly immediately after the deal and one of them provided police with a tag number and description of his vehicle, the report says. Investigators later determined Martinez had placed another Craigslist item asking people who recently bought IPhones to send him their boxes, the report says.
Justino said the Sheriff’s Office urges online shoppers to take every precaution possible to verify in advance that the seller is legitimate. She noted that both Martinez and Harris are convicted felons “with arrest histories that are public record and readily available. We discourage buyers from meeting sellers alone or in isolated areas,” she said.
Cell Phone Repair Guys wishes you a safe and happy holiday season. We are the low price leader in cell phone and iPhone repair in Dallas. We know Craigslist can be used to find great deals on many things but if you are ever uncertain about a cell phone you may be considering buying on the website, bring it in to us before you buy and we will provide a FREE phone checkup to make sure you won’t be getting ripped off.
